


The Story of Raoul

by ShuTodoroki



Series: WGP is for World Grand Prix [2]
Category: Cars (Pixar Movies)
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Circus, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, France (Country), M/M, Party, Racing, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28453230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShuTodoroki/pseuds/ShuTodoroki
Summary: After Raoul watches a rally race with his circus friends, he questions whether he's content with sticking with Cirque du Voiture, or whether he should take up rallying. Follow his journey towards becoming the World's Greatest Rally Car!
Relationships: Raoul ÇaRoule/Bruno Motoreau, Raoul ÇaRoule/Max Schnell
Series: WGP is for World Grand Prix [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084037
Kudos: 5





	1. Cirque du Voiture

Raoul CaRoule laughed as he swung in the air from trapeze to trapeze, holding onto each hanging bar with his front tires. He did a forward flip before he grabbed into the next hanging bar, drawing out a gasp from the audience.

Being a circus performer usually isn't one's dream job. Many went with conservative and dependable professions in Strasbourg. A doctor. A lawyer. An engineer. But not Raoul. He was a restless soul. He wanted to do something exciting, and when he went to see the circus with his family, he knew that was what he wanted to do. 

Of course, his parents objected, but he managed to persuade them that he would never give up in pursuing his dream career, and he would succeed. Now, here he was, part of the famous Cirque du Voiture circus, arguably the most known circus in all of France. 

The crowd cheered when he finished his flying trapeze act, but he wasn't done yet. He floored it, as he put his knowledge of Gymkhana to good use. The motorsport allowed him to take tight turns with ease through drifting, which would aid him in evading the obstacles which would come before him. 

He dodged whatever was in his way swiftly, whether it was swinging axes, or jets of fire from flamethrowers. The audience gasped audibly with each obstacle he dodged, as the axes came dangerously close to his tail, and the jets of fire almost scorched his paint job. They cheered even louder when he finished, still intact. 

"Merci! Merci!" He said in reply. Although he loved to show off, he was always humble. In his eyes, he was just doing what he loved to do. 

He drove off stage as another performer came on after him, since he had done his part. He looked forward to resting; the performance he just did could take a lot out of a car. Though he had gotten used to it and adapted by now, it was still quite tiring. 

Once the show was over and everyone came out for a final applause, the performers rested outside the circus tent near their trailers, ready to turn in for the night. 

"You put on a good show out there, Raoul." Pierre Enjoliveur, one of his fellow performers, complimented him. 

"Merci beaucoup!" Raoul thanked. "Your cannonball stunt also looked very impressive, Pierre." 

"That was tiring…" Another performer, Antoine Devite, sighed.

"Oui. At least we have a break of a few days." Raoul pointed out.

"We were actually planning on seeing the rally race that's going to be held just outside Strasbourg during our break." A trapeze artist, Emilie Conduire, said. 

“Sounds fun!” Raoul said. “What time is it, again?”

“They’re starting at nine in the morning. It’s early, but at least there will not be so much of a crowd if we watch it at that time.” Antoine answered.

Pierre chuckled. “We’re used to waking up early, anyway. One of the necessary evils of being a traveling circus.” 

“You can say that again.” Raoul laughed as well. Although he loved his job, he sometimes had to wake up early with the rest of the group when they traveled to different parts of France. It wasn’t fun, to say the least. 

“See you all tomorrow!” Emilie waved goodbye, as she headed to her trailer to sleep.

Everyone else followed suit, looking forward to the rally race tomorrow.

* * *

The circus troupe arrived at the first special stage of the rally race, and they managed to wait behind a barrier along the dirt track with other cars (after being mauled by their fans when they were recognized as performers of Cirque du Voiture) for the race to start. 

"I didn't know rally races were so popular. There was a traffic jam just trying to get here." Raoul complained. 

"Well, I've heard rally cars from all over Europe have come here. Their fans are probably here too." Antoine surmised. 

"Strasbourg was definitely busier than yesterday with all of the tourists. It's good; everyone travels to Paris and just Paris when they want to go to France." Emilie said. 

Pierre nodded in agreement. "True. I wonder which racer will go first, though?" 

"Hopefully the one from France. It'd be disrespectful if that wasn't the case." Raoul said.

Antoine shrugged. "Even so, it doesn't really matter, anyway. The whole point is to complete the special stage in the fastest time. The last racer to go could be the fastest." 

Suddenly, the cars around them went wild when the first racer emerged onto the track, who was, indeed, the French racer. A cheer of "Bruno Motoreau!" could be heard, as the rally racer proudly showed off the French tricolor on his tail, and waited for his start time. 

"He's probably the best rally racer here. It'll be interesting to see him race." Emilie commented.

"How do you know?" Pierre asked. 

"I keep up with the Global Rally Car series in my free time. That's why I thought it would be a good idea to see one of the races since it's so close to home." Emilie explained.

"Let's see how he does." Antoine said, as Bruno floored it once his start time came.

Bruno shot past the crowd of cars, and then went around the first hairpin turn on the dirt track, drifting around the corner out of sight. 

"You know, he kind of uses that same technique that you use in the Obstacle Course of Death stunt that you do, Raoul." Pierre told Raoul.

"Quoi?" Raoul asked, looking at Pierre. "You mean Gymkhana?"

"I prefer to call it simply 'drifting' because I can actually pronounce it, but yes. It's like the hairpin turn is an obstacle he has to avoid, so he turns sharply but drifts so he doesn't lose control at high speed. Like you do to avoid the swinging axes and flamethrowers." 

"Huh. I see what you mean, Pierre." Antoine agreed.

"Well, I'd say what I do is more impressive, but I guess you're right." Raoul said. 

Emilie chuckled. "Of course. It’s swinging axes and flamethrowers. They are right, though. I guess if you ever got sick of the circus you could become a rally car." 

Pierre laughed as well. "Yeah, we'd be your three biggest fans!" 

"What, are you three sick of me already?" Raoul jokingly asked. However, after watching Bruno race, he had to admit that it did seem sort of appealing. But then he'd leave the circus life behind. Did he want that?

"No, of course not!" Antoine clarified. "It's just…rally cars get paid more, I think."

"It's not 'I think.' It's 'I know.' They get paid more than circus performers." Emilie asserted.

Raoul sighed. "You guys know that I don't do what I do for the money, right? I enjoy performing in the circus. I would only go into rallying if it gave me the same satisfaction." Otherwise, he wouldn't be happy. 

Pierre nodded in understanding. "We know. It was kind of a joke, anyway. Hey, look, someone else is going!" He said, as he gestured to another racer with a tire. 

They spent the rest of the day watching the rest of the rally drivers, until they had all moved on to the next special stage of the rally race. 

"Wow. All of them looked pretty fast to me." Antoine remarked.

Pierre gave a chuckle in response. "Well, that's the point. It's a race." 

Antoine deadpanned. "You know what I meant, Pierre." 

"I could go for a can of oil on our way back to the circus tent." Emilie said.

Antoine raised an eyebrow. "Is that a hint?" He inquired, looking at Emilie knowingly. 

Emilie giggled. Antoine had read her like a book. He was always very astute. "Maybe…"

"You know, I agree with Emilie. A can of oil sounds great." Pierre agreed.

"I guess I could go for one too. Raoul?" Antoine looked at Raoul expectantly, but the usually upbeat car seemed quite out of it, looking pensive. 

"Raoul?" Antoine repeated, causing Raoul to snap out of it.

He laughed nervously, out of character for him, as he looked at Antoine. "Ah, yes, sorry, what did you say?" 

"I said, did you want a can of oil. Emilie was suggesting that all four of us get one on our way back." Antoine explained. 

"Oh, sure. A can of oil sounds nice." Raoul replied.

"Are you okay? Is this about rallying?" Pierre asked, looking concernedly at Raoul.

"Oui. I guess I'm just thinking about it. Whether it's actually something that I'd want to do or not." Raoul explained.

"Whatever you decide, we'll support you." Emilie reassured. Pierre and Antoine nodded in agreement.

Raoul slightly smiled. "Merci." It was definitely reassuring that his friends would support him either way. That way, his decision about rallying would be his, and his alone. 

"Now let's get going for that can of oil! I'm hungry, now that I think about it. I think we skipped lunch watching the rally." Pierre said. It was hard to leave the area they were watching the rally from, anyway, because it was packed with cars watching the race. 

"Don't have to tell me twice." Antoine replied, as the four of them headed back to Strasbourg.

* * *

Raoul lay awake on the sleeping mat in his trailer, as moonlight shone in from a window. He didn’t know why the subject was eating away at him so much, but it was. His circus friends said they brought it up as a joke, but then when he brought it up when he was thinking about it, Emilie said that they’d support him, no matter what, as if it was a serious decision.

After watching the rally cars after Bruno Motoreau do the same thing, he had gotten intrigued about the motorsport as well, and it was appealing. It provided that same adrenaline rush of speed, and timing had to be just right, like how it was when dodging swinging axes in the circus during his act.

He’d fit right in, and he was getting more and more curious about trying rallying out. However, he was afraid of what his fellow performers would think, even though they said that they’d support him. He would leave Cirque du Voiture as a result of becoming a rally car; he couldn’t do both, knowing that rally cars are busy.

Even then, there were no promises that he’d be as successful as he was in the circus. But then one could say, “you’ll never know if you don’t try.” He was conflicted inside. Rallying was appealing, but was he going to give up what he was accustomed to on a whim?

He knew that the local racing club was hosting an amateur rallycross event next week, from the advertisements put up on storefronts as he and his friends were going to get a can of oil. He had no idea what the difference was between rally and rallycross, but he knew that it only spanned one day, instead of multiple days like usual rally events did. The shorter length of time was perfect for him. 

He had finally come to a resolution. They were going to be in Strasbourg for a few months because of their residency, so he could try rallying out with this race, and see if he liked it. He’d bring it up tomorrow with his friends. Slightly more at ease about the subject, he managed to fall asleep.


	2. Strasbourg Rallycross

The next morning, sunlight shone on Raoul's hood, waking him up. He groggily looked at a clock in his trailer, and jumped in shock. "Merde! It's eleven in the morning. I overslept." 

Even if he and the others were on break, it still wasn't good. He basically skipped breakfast. Well, maybe the fact that he had issues sleeping last night was a factor, but he'd still better head out before one of his friends had the chance to tease him.

He left his trailer, and saw Pierre, Antoine, and Emilie hanging out outside near their trailers. They turned to look at Raoul when they saw him emerge from his trailer.

Pierre laughed as Raoul approached them. "The sleepyhead is up!" He teased.

Raoul rolled his eyes. "Laugh it up. I had issues sleeping." 

"Quoi? Are you alright?" Antoine asked.

"Oui, oui. I'm fine. Erm…" Raoul trailed off, as he tried to figure out how to put what he wanted to say into words. "What's the difference between a rally and a rallycross?" He blurted out, deciding to go with that. 

"A rally is what we just saw, where they use public roads to race from one point to another. They usually span over a few days, because they cover a long distance. A rallycross, however, is on a closed circuit, and they usually use traffic cones to make the track. It's also a lot shorter. Why?" Emilie explained. 

"It's about the rallycross event the local racing club is hosting next week. I was thinking about taking part in it, to see if I like rallying or not. I know it's not the real thing, but it's to get a feel for the motorsport, you know?" 

"So you want to compete in rally races?" Antoine inquired.

"Well, that's the thing. I'm not sure yet. That's why I was thinking of doing this rallycross event because it seems less formal than an actual rally event, so I could decide from personal experience." Raoul explained.

"Sounds like a fun outing for all of us! We'll watch you and the other racers compete. Of course, you're going to blow everyone else out of the water." Pierre asserted.

Raoul laughed. "Ha! We'll see about that. Just because they use the same technique doesn't mean that I will be able to use it effectively on my first try at a hairpin turn." 

"You're too modest, Raoul. Again, these are just hairpin turns. You've done plenty of them on stage." Emilie pointed out. 

"Merci beaucoup. I am looking forward to it." 

"We are too. We'll be cheering for you." Antoine said. 

"I appreciate it. Not too loudly, though. It might be embarrassing that way." Raoul said with a light chuckle. 

"Of course not! We wouldn't do that to you." Pierre knew what Raoul was talking about. Supportive, but not overly to the point that it's obnoxious. 

Raoul looked at Pierre, then at Antoine and Emilie, a slight smile on his face. He had known them for so long; ever since he joined Cirque du Voiture, they had always hung out, and practiced together. _I'm glad that I have such great friends._ He thought.

* * *

A week had gone by, and Raoul looked uncharacteristically nervous as he and his friends drove to the venue. He didn't know why he had no qualms performing in a circus in front of hundreds of cars, but the contrary was true when he was doing a single race which would probably last no more than a minute or two, given that the length of track was two kilometers. 

Maybe it was just because it was a new experience for him. He was already so used to performing in the circus; racing in a rallycross event was something that was foreign to him, and he had no idea how he'd do. 

“So, Raoul are you excited?” Antoine asked Raoul as they drove.

“Of course. As well as a bit nervous, if I’m being honest.” Raoul admitted.

“For what? You will drive circles around them all. Be more confident, like how you are in Cirque du Voiture.” Emilie told Raoul.

 _I will drive circles around them all._ Raoul repeated in his head. He liked that. It gave him a new sense of confidence. “Oui! Merci, Emilie.”

“What do you have to do when you’re there? You have to get your start time, right?” Pierre inquired.

Raoul nodded. “I do. It’s a short registration process before I can compete. Apparently, it’s on a first come first serve basis according to the poster, so racers are ordered based on when they registered.”

“That’s expected. It’s an informal event, but that’s what you wanted, right?” Antoine asked Raoul.

Raoul nodded, confirming what Antoine said was correct. “A real rally race is over a few days, and I don’t want that kind of dedication in case I don’t like it.” 

“Ah, it looks like we’re almost there!” Emilie exclaimed, as they approached what looked like a giant dirt field outside Strasbourg, with traffic cones set up for the “circuit.” Tents were put up at the start line, probably for the audience and for racer registration. 

Raoul eyed the circuit. It was definitely less challenging than what he saw the rally racers compete on, but there were still hairpin turns delineated by the traffic cones. Well, he could speak with certainty regarding the difficulty, once he raced on it. 

“We’ll try and snag the front row. You should go register so you can be one of the first to go.” Pierre suggested. 

Raoul nodded in acknowledgement, and he headed over to the tent where registration was. He had come at a good time; there was no line, but he was obviously not going to be first, because there were sporty looking cars already at the event, waiting. 

He approached the car working at the tent, and the car looked surprised when he saw the circus performer approaching. 

“Bonjour.” Raoul greeted politely. “Is this where you register for the race?”

“Oui. You want to compete, monsieur CaRoule?” The car inquired, seeming to be in disbelief that the famous circus performer wanted to compete, since most of the competitors were those from the racing club itself, and usually had some sort of racing background.

Raoul nodded in confirmation. “What do I have to do to register?” He inquired.

“Oh, nothing. Any particulars you’d need to tell me like your name I already know, since you’re such a famous circus car.” The car said with a light chuckle. “You just have to look over this form and say you agree to the terms and conditions.” He pushed the form across the table towards Raoul with a tire.

The form just listed the rules and regulations pertaining to rallycross, and a disclaimer that involvement risked serious injury, which wasn't the most reassuring. Raoul looked up at the other car uncertainly. "I agree…" 

The car seemed to be familiar with this reaction, as he chuckled. "The injury part rarely happens, as long as you don't do anything dumb, like taking a turn too fast in an effort to beat a time." He finished inputting the relevant information into a spreadsheet, which they were using to organize the racers. 

"Alright. You're fourth, after Francois Tonnerre. They'll announce when it's your turn, so you won't miss it." The car told Raoul.

"Merci beaucoup!" Raoul thanked, waving goodbye with a tire.

"De rien." The car replied, as Raoul returned to his circus friends. 

His friends seemed to be checking out the circuit when he approached them, and they looked at him when he got nearer to them. "You've registered?" Emilie asked.

"Oui! I just had to agree to all of the legal things. Like the possibility of serious injury." Raoul deadpanned when he said that.

Pierre laughed in amusement. "They always have to put stuff like that in there so they don't get sued. Believe me, you're in more danger every time you do the Obstacle Course of Death in the circus." 

"Pierre brings up a good point. It's just a bunch of sharp turns on dirt. You're accustomed to dirt since that's what our stage is made of." Antoine remarked.

"I know. I will drive circles around them all, yes?"

"You will. Are you going first?" Emilie inquired.

Raoul shook his hood. "Non, fourth. I figured that, anyway; there are racers already here to compete."

"Actually, that's good that you're not going first. You can observe what others do, to figure out what you should be doing to tackle the hairpin turns when it's your turn." Antoine pointed out.

"Huh…you're right, Antoine!" Raoul exclaimed, quite excited that he had a good chance of performing well in the rallycross. Though was mimicking what they did the best way to do well?

"To be honest, I think you know enough about taking sharp turns to not need that kind of assistance." Pierre stated. 

Raoul nodded in agreement. "Oui, I do need to figure it out myself, and feel for what works for me." 

"Whatever happens, it's all for fun. Don't be too stressed." Emilie told Raoul.

"Merci. I will try to have fun like I do on stage at Cirque du Voiture." Raoul replied.

They started calling the racers after an hour; there were fifteen in total. Raoul watched as the first racer lined up at the start line, and floored it when the flag car waved the green flag. The racer drifted around the hairpin turns, careful not to knock over any of the traffic cones. For each knocked over traffic cone, a two second penalty would be added, and two seconds could make the difference between winning and losing. 

Again, the racer's technique seemed similar to the Gymkhana he utilized regularly in the circus, with the heavy drifting that allowed the racer to not lose too much speed, but maintain control around tight curves. Of course, the timing was also important; drifting too early or too late would cause loss of control. 

The racer made an egregious mistake, drifting too late on one of the turns, causing him to knock over one of the cones. He looked visibly annoyed once he completed the circuit, but his resulting time wasn't bad: one minute, forty eight seconds.

"Pretend that each hairpin turn is an axe swinging towards you, and you'll never fail." Pierre chuckled at his own joke, while Raoul rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha. I think I sort of understand the circuit, now that I've seen someone race through it." Raoul said.

"Whatever you do, don't knock over any of the traffic cones. Slow down if you need to." Antoine warned.

"But wouldn't that cause me to gain two seconds anyway?" Raoul questioned.

"Maybe one second, but not two. It'd be better for you to slow down rather than risk hitting a traffic cone, because it's more than likely that you won't hit just one traffic cone if your racing line is off." Emilie advised.

When Raoul thought about it, it made sense. But he still didn't want to slow down too much if he didn't need to. "That is true. I'll find a balance and stick to it. As long as I do my best, right?" 

"Of course, and as long as you're having fun." Pierre added.

After another two racers went, it was Raoul's turn. They had beaten the first racer by about a second each; he had to beat one minute forty five seconds. It seemed daunting to him, but he really didn't know if it was a hard time to beat at all with his abilities. He'd just have to find out when he raced. 

"And now, Raoul CaRoule! From Cirque du Voiture!" 

Raoul grinned, and waved to the crowd as he pulled up at the starting line. He could clearly see Pierre, Antoine, and Emilie cheering him on, which made him feel about the same amount of confidence he had when he was on stage at the circus. 

This was just another performance, and he was going to ace it. Like he always did.


	3. A Surprise Victory

The flag car waved the green flag, and Raoul shot off on the straight section of dirt leading to the first right hairpin turn. He intended to take the least amount of time on the straight sections, to make up for the longer time it would take him to navigate turns. 

He slowed down in preparation for the turn, and turned his front tires to the right. He felt his tail losing traction with the dirt, which meant he was drifting. He carefully countersteered to maintain control, and he successfully traversed the hairpin turn without knocking any traffic cones over. 

However, he had a slalom ahead of him that he had to cross before he hit the next straight section. He coordinated his front tires to turn left and right around each traffic cone, as he passed them at a relatively high speed on each side without losing control. 

The air rushing past his frame from the high speed and dodging traffic cones made it feel kind of exhilarating, and Raoul knew that he definitely did not hate rallying, at least from what he experienced doing rallycross.

He turned onto the straight section, and accelerated to reach speeds of 160 kilometers per hour. He went airborne over each bump in the dirt road, and it just added to the excitement of the whole experience. 

"Ha ha!" He exclaimed, as he bounded over the dirt track, before he slowed down again for the turns back to the starting line. He took all of them nicely through drifting and countersteering, and he finished the circuit with a grin. 

"One minute and twenty eight seconds! I don't believe it!" One of the officials announced.

Raoul couldn't believe it when he heard that, as cheers rang out around him. He had beaten the best time by seventeen seconds? Judging by the official's reaction, that must've been very significant. 

"That's going to be a hard time to beat." The official added, as Raoul headed back to his friends, who were cheering loudly for him.

"Way to go, Raoul!" Pierre cheered.

"You took those turns like a champ." Antoine commented.

"And you looked like you were having fun." Emilie added, smiling.

"I did! It was very fun, going at such a high speed. I especially like jumping over the bumps in the road." It was an invigorating experience, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe even more so than the circus. Wait…was rallying his new…passion?

"You looked like you were flying." Pierre said with a hearty chuckle, until he saw his friend looking pensive again. "Raoul?" 

Raoul quickly recovered when he was addressed directly. "Was I?" He chuckled as well. "It's a good thing that my suspension can take it." 

"You should've done a flip at the end." Antoine suggested with a smirk.

Raoul shook his hood. "Non. That'd be disrespectful. All of the racers here look very skilled. Of course, it'd be an honor to stay in first place, but if someone beats my time, I will accept it."

"Speaking of which, someone else is going now." Emilie pointed out, and everyone turned their attention to the racer after Raoul. 

That racer failed to beat Raoul's time, and the same thing happened to the next racer. And then the next racer. 

"Wow! Raoul's time is still standing!" An official remarked. 

Raoul laughed. "I'm afraid now that he's said that, he's jinxed it." 

"Ah, don't say such nonsense. I have a good feeling about this." Emilie said.

Raoul's eyes widened as they neared the end of the eleven racers after him, and the closest someone got to beating his time was three seconds slower. They were down to the last racer, and that racer ended up finishing the circuit five seconds slower than his time. His time had stood, undefeated, for the rest of the rallycross. He had won.

It was surreal, as his friends cheered around him in celebration. His first rallycross race, well, any race for that matter, and he won? He couldn't believe it. It was like a dream. With how well he did, he definitely had a future in rallying. The opportunity was right there. The question was whether he was going to take it.

"Raoul, they're calling you to receive your trophy!" Pierre exclaimed, gesturing at the racing officials waiting some distance away from the audience stands. 

"Trophy?" Raoul echoed. So much was happening at once, but he quickly made his way over to receive the trophy. He didn't even know that whoever won received a trophy.

"Congratulations, monsieur CaRoule! How does it feel to win your first ever race?" 

Raoul smiled humbly. "I honestly did not expect to win, but perhaps being a circus car has made me very agile." He said with a light chuckle. "Thank you all for this award! I don't know how I'm going to transport it home, but I still appreciate it a lot. I'd like to thank my fellow circus performers for being here and supporting me." He gestured to his friends with a tire, and they sheepishly waved.

"Ah, we'll strap it to your roof, don't worry. Congratulations, again! Perhaps this could be a second career for you." The racing official joked.

Raoul's expression fell for a brief moment, before he smiled again. He still was conflicted about rallying, even now. "Merci. We will just have to see, I suppose." 

"Raoul! Raoul!" He heard, as a reporter jostled his way to take pictures of him with his trophy. He was probably originally here to cover a minor story for the local news, but he knew that his surprise win would probably be front page news. He just hoped that if he wanted to go back to being a circus performer at the end of it all, he could…

* * *

Raoul drove on a dirt road from the event back to Cirque du Voiture, with his gold trophy secured to his roof. He probably looked ridiculous to those he passed, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment. 

Pierre gave a light chuckle. "Wow. Now all of Strasbourg knows that you've won your first rallycross event." 

"Maybe even all of France." Antoine added. 

"I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing." Raoul said, uncertain. 

"Why?" Emilie asked. "I mean, if you want to start professionally racing, with the publicity the Global Rally Car competition would take you, no hesitation." 

"That's the thing. I don't know if I want to." Raoul explained. "Yes, I enjoyed racing in that competition, but…" He trailed off as he sighed. "I would give up Cirque du Voiture. Something I've known for several years." 

The reality of the situation seemed to hit the three circus performers, as they realized that if Raoul took up professional rallying, he definitely wouldn't have time to tour with them in the circus. They wouldn't see him again. 

"You'll always be a member of Cirque du Voiture, even if you take up rallying." Antoine said, with a sad smile.

Pierre nodded, agreeing with what Antoine said. "Just from what you've done today, Raoul…" He trailed off as he tried to think of what to say. "I mean, look at your trophy! Your first rallycross race, and you won."

Raoul had an idea of what Pierre was getting at. "I know that I have a future in rallying. I just wish I could do the circus, and rallying at the same time." 

"Well, you don't have to think about it now." Emilie pointed out, trying to make Raoul feel better. "You can just enjoy the trophy. Maybe once we finish this residency, you can think about it again?" She suggested.

Raoul gave a small smile at that. "I'd like that." Although he didn’t like not being able to give his circus friends a straight answer, it made him feel most at ease. He never planned to win just like that, and he needed time to think it over.

* * *

Raoul wasn’t ready for the press frenzy that followed the next day, when he woke up in his trailer. There was wide speculation that occurred over night, as the local story soon became a national story. He should’ve known; Cirque du Voiture was the most famous circus in France, how could something like what he did stay covert?

Emilie read the headline as she looked at the newspaper. “Surprise win by Raoul CaRoule at Strasbourg rallycross.”

Raoul stared at the other headlines on other newspapers, reading them in his head. 

“CaRoule thanks his circus troupe for support after winning.” 

“Will CaRoule leave Cirque du Voiture?”

“GRC spokescar: CaRoule seems promising, but he’d have to apply for the JGRC.”

“Wow, Raoul, you’re probably the most famous car in all of France at the moment.” Pierre remarked.

“Not even just France. BBC has an article about you already.” Antoine revealed.

“You all should have talked me out of it.” Raoul said, a worried expression on his hood. “I didn’t want this to become such a big thing. They’re putting words in my mouth that I’m going to leave.”

“Well then set the record straight at our next performance!” Emilie told Raoul. “The press will always do such nonsense, but they can’t write a narrative that doesn’t exist when you state it like it is.”

“Saying that I don’t know if I’m going to leave or not isn’t going to help. It just fuels the speculation.” Raoul replied. 

The three circus performers looked at each other, before they gave a nod in understanding together and solemnly looked back at Raoul. “Raoul, you really liked racing yesterday, right?” Antoine asked.

Raoul nodded, not hesitating one bit. “Oui. I did. It was fun to traverse all of the traffic cones, and the uneven dirt.” 

“You heard the GRC spokescar. They think you’re promising. You should seize the chance, and do what you love.” Pierre advised. 

Raoul sighed. He was again conflicted in his mind, and the mental battle he was having showed on his distressed expression. “But I love the circus as well…” 

“As Antoine said yesterday, you will always be a part of Cirque du Voiture, even if you leave. Yes, we’ll miss you, but we also want you to have success and be happy. Besides, the application process will probably take long enough that you can complete one last residency with us here in Strasbourg.” Emilie said, trying to make the blue Citroen feel better.

Raoul was silent for a while as he thought about what Emilie said. “So…you think that I should apply?”

“Do what will make you happy, Raoul.” Pierre said.

Raoul shook his hood. “Non, because that would be selfish. I would leave you three, without any consideration.”

“The fact that we’re even having this conversation is plenty of consideration.” Antoine pointed out.

“I know, but…if I apply, there’s no going back if I get accepted, and compete in Junior Global Rally Car.” Raoul still had that glum expression on his face.

“You mean when you get accepted.” Emilie corrected. “Raoul, we’ll be happy for you when you compete in your rally races. To be good friends, we sometimes have to learn to let go.”

Raoul stared at all of them. They had all supported Raoul’s decision if he should join the JGRC and leave Cirque du Voiture. The question was, would he take them up on it? “I suppose…I’ll fill out the application, and see what happens.” 

If he wasn’t lying to himself, he wanted to try something new. He just didn’t want to lose the three cars he had become close to over several years.

Pierre, Antoine, and Emilie gave a silent nod in understanding. “Besides, phones exist, you know.” Pierre said with a light chuckle, trying to add some humor into the solemn state everyone was in. “You can call us when you’re away. Maybe when we have breaks we can see your races when you’re in town.” 

Raoul smiled. That was true; just because he wouldn’t be a part of the circus anymore, didn’t mean that he couldn’t talk to his friends. “Merci. I will never forget you all.”

* * *

Raoul sighed as he slipped the application in an envelope in the La Poste mailbox, to be mailed to the headquarters of the Global Rally Car racing series. Well, he couldn’t exactly try and dig the envelope out of the mailbox, now that he had posted it.

He should get a response by at most two weeks, which was before the last performance of the Cirque du Voiture residency. He had refused to comment as to whether he was going to leave the circus until he got a response, so then he could make an announcement with certainty if he revealed that performance to be his last with the circus to the audience. 

He backed away from the mailbox, and headed back to the circus. _Well, two weeks isn’t that long of a time, is it?_

Two weeks passed by, multiple performances were done, and Raoul stood before his PO box at the local La Poste post office, since they had no mailboxes on the circus premises outside Strasbourg. He should have an envelope from the GRC in there, and he did. He quickly stored it in his trunk, and headed back to Cirque du Voiture before any reporters could hound him.

Pierre, Antoine, and Emilie perked up when they saw Raoul come back from town, and greeted him. 

Emilie was the first to ask. “So, did you get a reply?” 

“Oui! It’s stored in my trunk.” Raoul opened his trunk, and tipped onto his back tires to let the envelope fall out onto the ground. He turned around and started opening the envelope, as his fellow circus performers watched. 

He unfolded the piece of paper, and his eyes went wide. Pierre noticed, and urged Raoul on. “What’s the news, Raoul?”

Raoul’s mouth was slightly agape. Well, maybe he should’ve expected this, but after one race? Really? He couldn’t believe what was written on the piece of paper before him. “I…I’m in. I’m going to compete in the Junior Global Rally Car competition.”


	4. New Beginnings

His fellow circus performers beamed at the news, while it was bittersweet for Raoul. "I told you that you'd get accepted!" Emilie said, happy that Raoul was moving up after his first foray into the racing world. 

"Congrats, Raoul! Where are you going first?" Antoine inquired.

"It says here the first rally race is in Torsby, Sweden." Raoul's eyes widened as he read it off of the paper. "I've never been to Sweden." 

"Neither have I!" Pierre remarked. "It's very cold up there, though. Don't freeze." 

Raoul could always trust Pierre to make him laugh. "Ha! I'll try not to." 

"Perfect timing as well. The last performance of our residency is tomorrow." Emilie stated.

His happiness was short lived when he remembered that. "Ah, right. That." His mouth was knit into a hard line, as his blue eyes panned across his friends in front of him. He would have to be in Torsby a week from now, according to the letter from the JGRC. That didn't leave very much time for him to say goodbye.

His friends noticed this, and tried to make him feel better. "Hey, how about we have a celebratory dinner at a restaurant in town? To celebrate you becoming a professional rally car." Antoine suggested.

"The reporters will hound me and you all for answers. I even had issues trying to retrieve this envelope from my PO box because of them." Raoul huffed, a slight scowl on his hood in disgust.

"Once we enter the restaurant, that won't happen. We'll be safe from them there. Besides, it's a way for us to spend time together before you have to leave." Pierre reassured. 

Raoul thought that it was a good idea at that point. Anything to spend time with his friends. "Alright. Should we go now?" 

"If we want to get a good table, then yes. I have an idea of where we should go." Emilie contributed.

Raoul gestured with a tire towards town. "Well then, lead the way!"

The four circus performers headed off, looking forward to enjoying their evening.

* * *

Raoul took a deep breath before he grabbed onto the first trapeze from the platform, in front of hundreds of cars. He was going through his performance routine one last time, before he’d make his announcement at the end of it all.

One who knew Raoul could tell that something was off. He was not as relaxed when he did flips in the air. He lacked his nimble nature. Even though there was his characteristic grin from excitement, it seemed slightly forced. 

To his fellow circus performers, this was very obvious. To the general audience, however, they were more focused on his stunts. They never noticed the change in demeanor. Flying through the air between trapeze bars, Raoul enjoyed this as well. But, alas, one couldn’t have the best of both worlds. He leaned toward rallying purely because he was familiar with the circus. It was something new that he was obviously good at.

He traversed the “Obstacle Course of Death” one last time, almost getting scorched or turned into scrap metal, eliciting a thundering applause from the audience when he came out alive again. 

“Merci beaucoup.” Raoul thanked into a microphone that was attached to his hood. “I thank you all for coming to Cirque du Voiture’s last performance in Strasbourg!” He paused before he spoke again, a more solemn expression on his hood. “And my last performance with them. It has been a great couple of years with Cirque du Voiture, but with my fellow performers’ blessing, I will be competing in the Junior Global Rally Car competition this year.”

There was a tangible silence that permeated the air from the audience, as they took in what Raoul said. Although it was sort of expected from the news that had filled the newspapers, it was still shocking to them. Finally, they started clapping again, this time in honor of his last performance. 

Raoul smiled and bowed, before driving off stage for Pierre to start his act. It would be a tearful goodbye, but he knew that he was starting a new chapter in his life that he would hopefully never regret.

* * *

The blue Citroen had already packed up all of his things from his trailer and transported it to his personal home in Strasbourg, including his rallycross trophy. The JGRC had already chartered a plane for his transport to Torsby. 

The only thing left was to say goodbye, which was probably the hardest part for Raoul. He looked solemnly at his three circus friends, as they shared similar expressions on their hoods. No one spoke for a while, as they took in the fact that Raoul was truly leaving the circus. 

Antoine was the first to break the silence. "So, it really is goodbye, huh?"

Raoul gave a morose nod. "Oui…it is. I'll miss you all. It's been great, spending these several years performing together." 

Pierre sighed as he shifted on his tires, looking at Raoul. "Keep in touch, alright?" 

"Of course I will! Besides, any time you turn on RSN for the Junior Global Rally Car competition, I will be there." 

Emilie gave a slight smile at that. "Right. Let us know when you're in town so we can attend your races." 

"I would never forget it. Cirque du Voiture forever?" Raoul said, looking at his friends hopefully.

"Cirque du Voiture forever!" They replied, and the four cars shared a group hug before breaking apart. 

"Alright, well we wouldn't want you to miss your plane." Antoine said.

Raoul waved a tire dismissively. "It's chartered. I'll be fine. But…I suppose if I don't go now, I'll never want to go." 

"Be safe when you race. I don't want to hear about you getting injured." Emilie warned.

Raoul lightly chuckled. "I wouldn't say my performances here and safety go tire and tire, but thank you, Emilie. I will."

"Go win your first rally like you won your first rallycross!" Pierre exclaimed.

"I will, Pierre. I will." Raoul waved goodbye as he sniffled, before slowly turning around to drive away from the circus one last time, holding tears back. He never looked back, because it would hurt too much to do so.

* * *

Raoul shivered as he disembarked from the plane into the frigid air of Torsby, quickly driving down the ramp to find his hotel. It was colder here than it was in Strasbourg, and he needed warmth. His breath was visible as small clouds because of the cold, trailing behind him as he drove with his headlights on, in the darkening snow-covered landscape as the sun set.

The town was quite small, so it wasn't hard to find his hotel. He quickly got inside and checked in; apparently, the hotel got the most business when rallies were held in the small town, as he was told by the nice car running the front desk. 

He sighed in relief, basking in the warm comfort of his hotel room when he turned the heating on. He was finally able to relax, at least until his first real rally race tomorrow. He, of course, had done his research before he applied. Rallies spanned over multiple days. They were longer. They had multiple special stages. The winner is decided by a points system. They were point to point instead of a circuit.

But most of those differences had to do with logistics. The actual racing part was still the same. Uneven dirt roads, hairpin turns, and the goal to finish the stage in the quickest time. With his strong debut in rallycross, this should be a piece of cake.

He would rest tonight, then show the other racers what the newcomer could do.

* * *

The day of the race had arrived, and Raoul pulled up at the start of the rally race, as he anticipated what was to come. The fact that he was competing in the “junior league” first reassured him somewhat, but he was still concerned about whether he could do a repeat of what he did at the rallycross over the three days it would take to complete the Rally Sweden.

The other racers that were congregated there waiting for their start time looked at him curiously, as if they were doubting his racing ability because he didn’t come from a racing background. Of course, they immediately averted their eyes when he looked at them, but it still discouraged him. 

_Never mind. I will drive circles around them all._ He told himself, taking it to heart. The snow might be a concern, but he had driven in snow before. He just had to remember to not take turns too quickly. 

When it was his turn, he lined up at the start point, waiting while he watched a racing official for the countdown to his starting time. The racing official counted down from ten, and he shot off when “zero” was called.

It was a 45 kilometer long section of track, which was definitely longer than the measly two kilometers the rallycross circuit spanned, but it was nothing that Raoul couldn’t handle. Drifting worked well on the various turns in the track, and it actually required less sudden turns than the rallycross circuit, since it was a public road, and not built specifically for a racing event. 

Thus, he felt like he did reasonably well when he finished the first special stage, coming to a halt in front of racing officials for them to record his time. 

“You have the fastest time so far on this special stage.” One of the racing officials notified Raoul, to which he gave a smile in response.

“That is good.” He replied, happy that he had such a strong start. Of course, Rally Sweden had twelve special stages, so it was one of many that he had to do well in if he wanted to win.

“The next special stage is five kilometers ahead.” Another racing official told Raoul.

“Thank you!” Raoul thanked, before he drove off at a normal pace to the next special stage. The surrounding snowy forest was quite beautiful when he had the chance to look at it, and it relaxed him a bit. The important part was to not get stressed, and to enjoy racing. Even if he got second in this rally, he knew that a car could never be always perfect, and he would just try his best.

* * *

A few days later, snow fell slightly in Karlstad, Sweden, as the racers congregated around the racing officials who were adding up times from each special section, waiting for the results of the Rally Sweden. 

Finally, they seemed to have a result, as one of the racing officials drove in front of a microphone set up in front of the racers and crowd.

“The winner of the Rally Sweden is…Raoul CaRoule! By twelve seconds!”

Raoul’s mouth was slightly agape, as he struggled to speak when reporters surrounded him. He had…won? In some of his special stages, other racers were faster than him, but he must have won by a lot in those stages where he did well. 

“Raoul, what is your secret to winning?”

“How does your circus experience help you?”

“Do you think you will win the championship?”

The blue Citroen tried to answer each of the questions as best as he could, of course never forgetting to thank his Cirque du Voiture friends for supporting him. It may have just been a case of beginner’s luck, but Raoul was starting to become certain that his future in rallying would be bright.


	5. A New Crew Chief

Several years had gone by, and Raoul CaRoule had become the World's Greatest Rally Car, after winning his ninth consecutive rally championship, wearing the racing number of six. Granted, he didn't win every rally, but he always ended up winning the cumulative rally championship. He had long since graduated from the Junior Global Rally Car competition to the Global Rally Car competition, where he still turned hoods wherever he went.

Sporting a paint job resembling the French tricolor, and "GRC" proudly shown off on both sides, he was the pride of France wherever he competed in rallies, as his fans shouted "CaRoule Ca-Rules!", a cheer that he was quite fond of. 

Although he liked seeing the world and meeting new racers, like Max Schnell in Germany, he always loved it when he could return home to Strasbourg. He made sure to keep up with his circus friends by calling them between races.

In this instance, he wasn't lucky enough to catch them when they were in town, as they were in another part of France with the traveling circus, but he had seen them several months prior, so it didn't bother him too much. 

He had been asked recently after the end of this rally season about Sir Miles Axlerod's World Grand Prix, and whether he was going to compete for France, since the oil baron had released the countries that were going to be competing, and France was one of them.

All he could respond was that it was up to the Range Rover, since it was his competition. Besides, he was a rally car, and the competition was based off of a circuit racing format, something that he wasn't very accustomed to. It would take some training if he was going to represent France in the World Grand Prix. 

Which was why he stared at the letter he was holding in shock, when he picked it up along with the rest of his mail from his PO box. 

"Dear Mr. CaRoule, 

Your incredible performance in the Global Rally Car racing series has truly shown that you are the greatest racer in all of France, and you certainly deserve your World's Greatest Rally Car title!

That's why I would like to invite you to compete in my World Grand Prix competition. I do know that you have just finished another successful rally championship, but I would be honored if you could compete otherwise. Besides, the racing circuits are made specifically to play on cars' certain strengths, and the dirt sections are there specifically for cars like you! 

If you accept, please call the attached number. 

Sincerely,  
Sir Miles Axlerod"

At first, Raoul thought that it was a scam, but it seemed legit when he thought about it longer. The envelope came with a World Grand Prix sticker sealing it, and the whole letter was tire written. He saw no harm in calling the number, so he got his home phone and waited for someone to pick up.

"Axlerod Industries." He heard, and he assumed that he was talking to Miles' secretary. 

"Bonjour, this is Raoul CaRoule." 

"Ah, yes, hold on." He waited as he was transferred, presumably to Miles himself.

The Range River was soon heard, as he greeted Raoul excitedly. "Raoul CaRoule! I'm very glad that you want to compete in the World Grand Prix!"

"I am very honored to be able to."

"You are actually the only racer along with another who I have contacted via letter, since I have told the others via their crew chiefs." Miles pointed out, giving a light chuckle.

Ah, right. Because he was a rally racer, he didn't have a crew chief, since he didn't have a crew. During special stages, if you crashed, you had to deal with it yourself. Any repairs or tire changes were done at the end of each day, and pitties were shared among all of the racers.

"Right. Erm…do I need a crew chief for your competition, Sir Axlerod?" Raoul inquired.

"Well, you definitely need a crew for pit stops, and I think it'd be helpful to have a crew chief to give you pointers during the race." The oil baron advised. "Actually, I have an idea for one if you need help getting a crew chief." 

"I would be grateful if you could help."

Raoul could hear Miles writing something down on the other end. "Alright…I'll arrange that, and I'll call you back with details. Is that alright?" 

"Of course, thank you very much." 

"No problem! I will see you at the World Grand Prix welcome party in Tokyo."

"Au revoir." 

Raoul still couldn't believe what had just happened. He was going to compete in the World Grand Prix! Racing with the greatest racing champions of the world sounded daunting, but he was confident in his abilities. One didn't win nine consecutive rally championships if they weren't capable. But who did Sir Miles Axlerod have in mind for his new crew chief?

* * *

Raoul arrived at the dirt field outside Strasbourg where he won his first rallycross, and he immediately felt a nostalgia rush. This was where his racing career began; he was happy to be back here. Of course, it was deserted, but that was alright. He had solitude.

 _Maybe I’ll kick up some dirt while I’m here. Do some hairpin turns to keep my skills sharp while I wait._ He thought. He drove onto the dirt and shot off, pretending that there were traffic cones in his way. He drifted left and right, taking sharp bends quickly and safely. A smile formed on his hood as he felt the wind against his frame.

Even after all these years, racing still gave him so much joy, and he knew that he’d have many more years in the motorsport. He tested his max speed on a straight section, flying over the bumps in the dirt, before coming to a stop where he started. He let out a satisfied sigh, until he heard a voice to his left.

“Nice racing out there, Raoul.”

Raoul quickly turned to see who spoke, and saw the one and only Bruno Motoreau gazing at him with a slight smirk. 

Wait, this was who Sir Miles Axlerod had in mind? _The_ Bruno Motoreau? His mind went back to that rally race he saw with his circus friends years ago, in which he saw Bruno Motoreau race. One of the greatest rally legends in all of France was before him. Right now. He must've wanted to become a crew chief after he semi-retired from GRC.

He probably looked stupid as his mouth was slightly agape, but what could he do? Probably responding to the compliment would be a start. “M-Merci beaucoup, monsieur Motoreau! You are one of my greatest inspirations. I am honored to meet you.”

Bruno let out a light chuckle. "I could say the same. No need for formalities, though. Call me Bruno. We'll become familiar enough anyway, since I will be your crew chief." 

Raoul's jaw dropped in shock, before he quickly closed it when he realized that he looked comically surprised. "You will be my crew chief in the World Grand Prix?"

Bruno nodded. "Oui. I will teach you all that I know. Sir Miles Axlerod thought it fitting that the new French rally champion be trained by the old French rally champion."

"I…I am honored to train under you. Together, we will win at the World Grand Prix with your input." 

"Considering that you've won so many rallies, and from what I've seen, you don't have to learn much." Bruno said, laughing.

"Nonsense. Something that I would definitely need to work on, for sure, is transitioning to the circuit racing format." Raoul stated, not wanting to seem full of himself. Despite his success, he stayed humble. Especially when talking to a racing legend.

"Well, you will see that it isn't hard to learn. All motorsports are quite interconnected." Bruno replied.

"True, they are. Merci…Bruno, for agreeing to train me." Raoul hesitated before using the other's first name, until he remembered that he could use it.

"Think nothing of it." Bruno replied with a smile.

* * *

Raoul and Bruno had traveled to the small commune of Faleyras on the other side of France for training, where the Circuit de Faleyras was located. It was used for rallycross and autocross events, and the combination of dirt and asphalt track, along with the sharp turns, was perfect for mimicking the World Grand Prix tracks.

"Alright. How about we take a few laps? Ten?" Bruno suggested, as the two racers waited on the dirt track.

“We?” Raoul echoed, thinking that Bruno would just want to observe him as he raced.

“Well, it’ll be easier to see what we can improve on if I’m close to you. Besides, it gives you some motivation.” Bruno said with a playful smirk.

Raoul returned the smirk. “On the contrary, I would want to take it easy to show respect.”

“Ah, but letting me win would be a let down. Besides, you are the one who will be racing.”

“Right.” Raoul agreed, as both of them lined up at the start line. “Three, two, one, go.” 

The two rally racers shot off, and Raoul immediately took the lead on the straight section, building up speed on the dirt. He slowed down to turn left with the circuit, and utilized his characteristic technique of Gymkhana to take another left hairpin turn. 

However, because he was accustomed to dirt, when the road surface turned into asphalt, he turned a bit too sharply, and it showed when he had to correct to the right. This allowed Bruno to catch up with him, and they were now side by side. After several laps, Raoul managed to stay ahead of Bruno from pure speed, but it was by a narrow margin when he defeated him by the end of the tenth lap.

“That was a good race, Bruno.” Raoul remarked as he stopped, dust still settling around the pair when they braked.

“For you, because you won.” Bruno replied with a chuckle. “I’m kidding. It was enjoyable for me as well. However, you seem to struggle on the asphalt.”

Raoul nodded in agreement, giving a resigned sigh. “Oui, because I’ve been racing on dirt for the past several years. Nothing that I can’t get used to, but I think dirt will always be my strong suit.”

“While that may be true, we can improve your racing on asphalt as much as we can.” Bruno stated. “Are you ready?”

It would be a lot of training before the World Grand Prix, but Raoul could take it. Besides, it was a new field of motorsport for him, and it was his first time competing in Japan. He wasn’t going to let the opportunity given to him slip away. With Bruno’s help, he was going to rally for victory at the World Grand Prix.

He looked at his crew chief with a determined smirk. “Of course I am.”


	6. The World Grand Prix Party

Raoul looked around in awe, as he disembarked from the plane at Tokyo Haneda Airport with Bruno. This was his first time in Japan, and it already wowed him with how quick everything was. Within 15 minutes, they were through immigration, and swarmed by reporters as they tried to make their way to the Tokyo National Art Center for the World Grand Prix welcome party. 

Apparently, the line up of World Grand Prix racers had diffused around the world, since Raoul was pretty sure that he wasn't that well known outside of Europe. At least he thought so. 

He would've stopped to humor them, but they needed to get to the party, since there was probably already a red carpet laid out that he would stop at for the press. He looked around at the tall skyscrapers surrounding him as he drove, impressed as they towered over him and lit up the night sky. Strasbourg was a city, yes, but Tokyo was _way_ bigger, and some of the buildings he saw were probably 100 floors tall.

"I hope you know where the party is, because I would get lost with all of these streets and signs." Raoul told Bruno, laughing a bit.

"Sir Miles Axlerod said that it wasn't far from the airport…ah, there's the sign." Bruno pointed at the sign with a tire, which read "Tokyo National Art Center" and an arrow pointing them onto a turnoff in the main road they were on.

"Very convenient." Raoul commented, as they headed towards the glass faced building built over a lake, which made it look like it was floating on the lake's surface. They crossed a bridge over the water, and soon saw the stands for the press, as the surface they were on turned from asphalt to red carpet. 

Raoul smiled as he pulled up to talk to some of the reporters from behind a barrier on the red carpet with his crew chief, finding an empty spot amongst two of his fellow racers. 

"Raoul CaRoule! How has your visit to Japan been so far?" 

"Very good. Tokyo is definitely a lot bigger than back home." 

"How did you team up with Bruno Motoreau for the World Grand Prix? You haven't had a crew chief before." 

"Well…" Raoul glanced at Bruno. "I'll let him explain." He didn't want to have all of the limelight, since Bruno was here too, and a famous racer in his own right. 

"Sir Miles Axlerod asked me if I would become Raoul's crew chief after I had semi-retired from Global Rally Car, and I said yes. He arranged for us to meet in Strasbourg, and we've trained together for this moment. Simple as that." 

"Do you two think you will win the World Grand Prix?" 

Raoul laughed, giving a shrug at the same time. "We'll just have to see about that. Anything can happen; all of the racers here are very talented and capable. Sir Miles Axlerod did choose us as the greatest racing champions of the world." 

“Alright, did you want to head inside to see the party, Raoul?” Bruno asked, thinking that they had answered enough questions for the press.

Raoul nodded. “Definitely. Merci, but we will be heading inside.”

The two drove inside the building, and looked around in awe as their picture was being taken by some reporters stationed at the entrance. There were a lot of multicolored lights set up to give the building a party atmosphere, and there was a light projection on a large pillar of the World Grand Prix logo.

“Wow…this party looks amazing!” Raoul remarked, as he saw the sushi bar surrounding the pillar. He’d head down the spiral ramp to the ground floor, however, since that was where most of the cars were. 

“Indeed. You think that you will see anyone you know here?” Bruno inquired.

“I know Max Schnell is here. I don’t think I’ve competed with anyone else here, though, from what I saw in a newspaper article listing the racers competing.” Raoul explained.

As if on cue, he heard his name being called from the ground floor as he descended down the spiral ramp with Bruno. “Hey, Raoul! Over here!” 

Raoul looked down, and saw Max calling for him, waving with a tire as he was joined by his own crew chief, Otto Bonn. He quickly descended the rest of the way to greet them. 

“Max! Otto! How have you two been?” Raoul asked, giving Max a tire five in greeting. France and Germany, being neighboring countries, frequently had rally races near the border, and Strasbourg and Stuttgart weren’t that far from each other, so their paths crossed a lot. 

“It’s a pleasure to see you both again.” Bruno added, smiling.

“We’ve been doing well. Can you believe this party?” Max gestured around at the art sculptures and light displays surrounding them for emphasis.

“I know, right?” Raoul exclaimed. “Must’ve taken a lot of work.”

“I heard that Shu Todoroki, the Japanese racer, planned this entire thing with his crew chief.” Otto told Raoul. 

“Oh? Then we will have to thank him.” Bruno said. It wasn’t publicized, but he assumed that Sir Miles Axlerod would announce it at some point.

“Ja, we will too. We haven’t seen him around yet, though. We just arrived as well.” Max explained.

“Well, we will probably see him at some point since it’s a huge press and publicity event as well. They’ll want to see all of us in one place.” Raoul stated, laughing lightly.

Max laughed as well. “You’re probably right.”

“Hm…I’ve only seen the mezzanine. Should we explore the rest of the party?” Raoul suggested.

“I think that Sir Miles Axlerod is only going to make opening remarks in a few hours, so sure! That’s a great idea.” Max agreed.

“Bruno? Otto?” Raoul inquired, only to see their crew chiefs engaged in a pretty spirited conversation about their past racing careers.

“We’d better leave them to their conversation.” Max advised, as he gave a slight smile in amusement.

Raoul looked back at Max when he saw that their crew chiefs were busy. “I agree. So, where did you want to go first?” 

“Well, I heard that they have a pretty good spread of food and drinks on the mezzanine.” Max recalled, as his gaze shifted to the sushi bar up on the mezzanine.

“Where I just came from. Great.” Raoul said, deadpanning, before laughing it off. “I’m kidding. I could go for some food; plane food isn’t the best.”

“I second that. Let’s go!” 

The two racers headed back up the ramp, intending to enjoy the party while they were there.

* * *

Raoul and Max hung out on the ground floor with their drinks from the bar, having enjoyed some sushi. They decided to spend the rest of the time catching up, until they heard someone approaching them. They looked up, and saw that it was Shu Todoroki. 

Shu bowed politely as he approached the two racers. “Good evening, CaRoule-san and Schnell-san. I hope you both are enjoying the party?” 

Raoul nodded, smiling. “We have! Thank you for planning it, monsieur Todoroki.” 

“It must have been a lot of work.” Max added.

“Indeed it was, but the reward is worth it in the end.” Shu replied. 

“I’ll say. I mean, the stage, the light displays, the catering.” Raoul was truly impressed with how much work the Japanese racer put into the party. This probably wasn’t something that was done in a month. More like a few months.

“I just wanted to represent Japan well to the world, since it’s such a high profile event. I also had help from my crew chief, so it wasn’t that bad. This is my first time competing internationally, so I am quite excited.” Shu explained.

“I’m sure that you’ll enjoy it. Visiting different countries is always fun. Max and I have done so during our European rallies.” Raoul said, to which Max agreed by nodding.

“Are rallies different from races?” Shu inquired. He had heard the term, but he was unfamiliar with rallies.

Max nodded. “The tracks are usually made of dirt, which means that they are uneven and handle differently than asphalt.”

“So the terrain is much more rugged than a traditional racing circuit?” Shu asked.

“Oui. You have to be agile and light on your tires if you want to win. It is not just speed. If you go too fast, you will lose control on the bumps in the dirt road.” Raoul explained.

“The dirt sections in each of the tracks will be best for us, since we’re at a speed disadvantage.” Max stated.

“I will probably not do so well on those sections." Shu admitted.

"Well, all of us have a disadvantage at some point during each of the three circuits, so it becomes fair." Raoul replied.

Shu nodded in agreement. "That is true."

Suddenly, a voice came on the PA. "Ladies and gentlecars, Sir Miles Axlerod!" Miles pulled up, and drove under the water feature, which was turned off when he went under it.

"Ah, he must be doing our introductions." Max surmised.

"We'd better get over there so we can come up when it's our turn." Shu suggested.

The three headed over to the main stage, just as Miles started speaking. "It is my absolute honor to introduce to you the competitors in the first-ever World Grand Prix. From Brazil. Number eight: Carla Veloso!"

Raoul watched as his fellow racers were introduced, until it was his turn, after Miguel Camino of Spain. “From France, number six: Raoul CaRoule! The World’s Greatest Rally Car!”

Raoul gave a humble smile as he drove onto the stage under the water feature, which stopped while he passed under it. The audience cheered as he looked at Sir Miles Axlerod. “Merci beaucoup, monsieur Axlerod! It is a great honor to compete in your competition.”

“I’m glad to have you here. You know, this chap was very hard to contact since he had no crew chief. I had to send him a letter; who does that anymore?” 

The audience laughed as Raoul laughed with them. “Well, at least I saw it, and you connected me with Bruno.”

“Can you imagine that this car has won nine consecutive rallies?” 

Raoul again smiled humbly. Apparently, some of his fans had traveled to Tokyo to see him, since he managed to hear a small cheer of “CaRoule Ca-Rules!” come from the audience. 

“My previous experience in Cirque du Voiture actually helped in my success. Of course, the continued support from my friends, Pierre Enjoliveur, Antoine Devite, and Emilie Conduire, has been instrumental to why I’m here today.” He was sure that they’d appreciate that shout out.

“You have very avid fans here today, as well.” Miles chuckled as he gestured at the section of the audience with his fans with a tire, who cheered even louder when they were pointed out by the Range Rover.

Raoul nodded as he waved to them. “Well, the same was true for the racers who have gone before me, and I appreciate them very much.” 

“Right. Good luck to you in the race tomorrow.” Miles told him.

“Merci beaucoup! This is my first racing competition done on a circuit, so I will need that luck.”

Raoul drove off stage to join the rest of the racers who were congregated on another stage for a photo shoot for the press, just as Max Schnell started his introduction, the last racer to be introduced by Sir Miles Axlerod. 

The years for him seemed to have flown by. One moment, he was competing at his first rallycross, the next, he was going to compete against the greatest racing champions from around the world in a trio of races called the World Grand Prix. All he could do was try his best, and approach the competition with the same confidence he usually employed during his European rallies.

He would drive circles around them all.


End file.
